Taken from portfolio series titled: At 10,000 Feet
Britt Ripley
Biography
I am the youngest of six children born into a Montana ranching family. In 1958, when I was three years old, our family moved to Tucson, Arizona. It was here in the beautiful Sonoran Desert that I began developing a keen awareness and connection with the natural environment. Living on the outskirts of the city, I spent countless hours and days exploring the desert plain, foothills, and mountains, mostly on my own and often barefoot. The pain of being impaled by the sharp spines of cacti and other flora, the intense summer sun above and heat underfoot, and presence of poisonous creatures quickly made me realize the need to be alert and recognize some of my own physical limitations. Though I would frequently catch hell from my parents for disappearing into my vast playground, the price I paid was well worth the peace, independence, and adventures I found. It was here that I developed a great fondness for nature and first became impressed with the patterns of light and shadow on the landscape.
From early on I spent hours and hours looking at and fascinated by photo images in National Geographic magazines and Time-Life photography books. At age fourteen I was given my first camera by my oldest sister, Abby, upon leaving for a summer trip to Alaska. With my new half-frame Bell & Howell camera in hand, I began my obsession with photography by capturing images of this new, grand and wild landscape.
Attending the University of Arizona, I received a degree in Landscape Architecture, a field of study that integrated my strong interests in ecology, horticulture, science, art, and design. I was thrilled to land a first post-college job in San Francisco, CA, where I was easily able to spend weekends and vacation time backpacking and photographing the magnificent Yosemite Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains. The photography and technical books of Ansel Adams were an inspiration to my early work.
My love of music is equal to my passion for photography. Growing up I was fortunate to have siblings who were and still are quite talented in music and art, and their enthusiasms heavily influenced me to study art, guitar, and vocal music. Other than my heart and spiritual connection with my loved ones and my compassion for humanity, nothing touches me more deeply on an emotional level than music. Visual imagery seen in my mind and through my eyes and the lens of a camera often evokes passages of music of similar energy and emotional qualities. Likewise, music stirs up visual images in my mind.
Northern Colorado has been my home since 1984. I feel very fortunate to live in a geographic location surrounded by such an abundance of natural beauty.
